Motorist is charged with eluding police following traffic stop in Hillside

HILLSIDE -- A 27-year-old man was arrested after crashing his car on Route 78 in Somerset County early Saturday morning, three hours after having driven away from a traffic stop in Hillside, dragging a police officer several feet in the process, authorities said.

When a State Police trooper arrived on the Route 78 crash scene in Warren Township, the man, David Frischman, allegedly tried to stab the trooper with a hypodermic needle, Hillside police Lt. Vincent Ricciardi said today.

Frischman, of Livingston, was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital for injuries he sustained from the crash, Ricciardi said. He will be brought to Union County Jail when he is discharged from the hospital.

The incident began just before 10 p.m. on Friday, when Frischman was stopped in Hillside in his 1997 Acura. Officers pulled him over for driving past a stop sign, Ricciardi said.

When Hillside Police Officers Matthew Casterline and Bryan Arrington stopped him a short distance away and approached the vehicle, they spotted a plastic baggie with suspected heroin inside, police said.

They ordered Frischman out of the car, but he tried to shift the vehicle into drive, police said. Casterline leaned into the car to stop him, but Frischman accelerated away, dragging the officer about 15 feet before he fell to the ground and sustained minor injuries.

Both officers returned to their vehicle, then chased Frischman onto Route 78 West, ending the pursuit near Exit 40 in Berkeley Heights, after notifying State Police, authorities said. About an hour after they ended the pursuit, Frischman crashed his car on Route 78 in Warren Township.

When the State Police arrived at the scene, Frischman assaulted the trooper and attempted to stab him with a hypodermic needle, Ricciardi said.

He was soon arrested and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, eluding police, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with physical evidence.